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The Magic of Recluce

(The Saga of Recluce #1)

L.E. Modesitt Jr. (Goodreads Author)

3.85 · Rating details · 22,731 ratings · 656 reviews

Young Lerris is dissatisfied with his life and trade, and yearns to find a place in the world better suited to his skills and temperament. But in Recluce a change in circumstances means taking one of two options: permanent exile from Recluce or the dangergeld, a complex, rule-laden wanderjahr in the lands beyond Recluce, with the aim of learning how the world works and wha ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 501 pages

Published May 15th 1992 by Tor Books (first published April 1991)

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Jun 21, 2010 Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: heroic fantasy readers

Recommended to Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) by: Jim

Shelves: fantasy, animal-character-steals-the-show, older-woman-younger-man, hero-i-loved, mage, coming-of-age, favorites, part-of-a-series, warrior-woman, heroic-fantasy

This was a book where patience proves to be a virtue. It started very slowly, with an almost tedious amount of detail. As I continued to read, it started to make sense.

This is a book about the battle between two opposing forces: chaos and order. The tedious amount of detail really ties into this story, for it defined the foundation of Recluce. Recluce is a city of almost pure order. Everything is so perfect and ordered that it is perceived as being boring to our hero, Lerris. Any persons who co This was a book where patience proves to be a virtue. It started very slowly, with an almost tedious amount of detail. As I continued to read, it started to make sense.

This is a book about the battle between two opposing forces: chaos and order. The tedious amount of detail really ties into this story, for it defined the foundation of Recluce. Recluce is a city of almost pure order. Everything is so perfect and ordered that it is perceived as being boring to our hero, Lerris. Any persons who compromise that order are exiled. Our hero is such a person. But, like any good heroic fantasy, this reluctant, unlikely hero does save the day.

Lerris was a bit annoying at first, like one of those eternally bored youngsters that made my life miserable when I taught. I don't think I've ever seen the word 'boring' so much in my life. When I was a kid, I was not allowed to be 'bored', so I don't have much patience for people who go through life bored with everything. Fortunately, I came to see how this plays a role in the story. Lerris is looking for answers. He's like the kid who always asks 'why' about everything, wanted to be told instead of finding out the answers for himself. His exile from Recluce turns out to be the making of him. He finds a strength and a purpose over the course of this novel that can only be gained the hard way, through action and practice.

At first, I didn't think Mr. Modesitt's style of writing was going to work for me, but then I began to appreciate it. His attention to detail is very important to the narrative. I especially liked his descriptions of woodworking. I am not very good with my hands, despite being a decent artist and gardener. I do respect those who can build functional things with their hands. Lerris's approach to woodworking--initially one of boredom and disinterest, which changed to one of intense focus and commitment to perfection--was a metaphor for his maturation from boy to man. He has a hard, often lonely road ahead of him in this novel. Seeing that slow, often painful growth made me come to love him as a hero. He showed that his heart was in the right place, although he seemed so disinterested and self-absorbed initially.

The magic system was very interesting. It turned a a big thing on its head as far as conventions: the black wizards are the good wizards, and the white wizards are the evil wizards. That was an unique twist that I liked. I was surprised that I figured out some of how the chaos versus order dynamic worked. I was putting the pieces together along with Lerris. I liked how the order in persons and things were manipulated by Lerris and his eventual mentor, gray (mostly black but a little white) wizard, Justen. That was their power as order-masters. And it wasn't just a matter of creating things to solve problems. If done wrongly or for the wrong motives, this could become an act of chaos. Lerris had to continually weigh his actions to make sure he wasn't doing that. As I read, I wondered what could and couldn't be done and stay on the side of order.

Although this story is focused on Lerris, there are some interesting secondary characters, and quite a lot of strong, well-developed women characters. I liked that the women were in powerful roles, often serving in the military and as soldiers. Krystal turned out to be a good character, showing her own evolution in character for the best. And I loved Lerris trusty mountain pony, Gairloch. He's quite the boon companion.

I am the risk of being long-winded, so I'll bring this review to a close. This was a very good book. I'm glad I hung in there and kept reading past the slow beginning, and that I paid attention. Mr. Modesitt lays a powerful foundation for this story, and everything ties in together. I appreciate being recommended this story by a fellow Goodreads friend. I will definitely continue reading this series. Recommended to readers who like an intricate fantasy story.
...more

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Sep 29, 2009 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, epic-fantasy

I debated the rating on this and went with 4.

The above was my original review of this book, I'm a little surprised that it got a vote (LOL). I'm also a little surprised at my comment. In retrospect I like the book much better than my initial impression above. Over the years, the book has apparently gotten better LOL. It stayed with me and I own most of the series...I like it and the series a great deal. I read this book a good many years ago and it launched me off into tracking down the Recluse ...more

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Aug 21, 2008 Jim rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, 2fiction, 3series, 1paper, sword-sorcery

He posits an interesting world where Order (Black) & Chaos (White) are separate forces that can be manipulated by humans. Those who wield each, don't generally play well with those who use the opposing force. There is a balance, so both forces gain more play in the world as the other side becomes stronger. Some people are focuses of one or the other, too. It leads to interesting situations.

The world is complex with very real politics, economics, & issues. That's what I like best about them since ...more

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May 16, 2009 Kara Babcock rated it it was ok

Shelves: from-library, 2009-read, fantasy

Sometimes I worry I've become too cynical in my old age (says the nineteen-year-old). When I read The Magic of Recluce for the first time, I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, and I went on to devour the next several books of the Recluce saga before promptly breaking for lunch.... (Well, OK, the span of several months may have elapsed sometime among all that, but you get the idea.) Now I feel less charitable toward this book. The Magic of Recluce has a couple of problems, none of ...more

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Jun 15, 2020 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-shelf, worldbuilding-sf, fantasy

As I was reading, I kept having to stop and convince myself that I wasn't reading a book that came out in the last few years. It's style and worldbuilding and quick developments belied the fact that it was pubbed in 1991. And yet?

I was entranced. I felt like I was reading Robin Hobb (this came out before her popular epic fantasy) mixed with some Robert Jordan and some of the high-fantasy elements of Moorcock.

And it wasn't even the magic dichotomy between Order vs Chaos and how it felt like a gig ...more

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Oct 22, 2010 Brad rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Brad by: Jon Moss

Shelves: sci-fantasy, fantasy, exceeded-my-expectations, unforgivable-cover-art

There are three reasons why I love The Magic of Recluce: 1) it's not like the Star Wars movies in one crucial way; 2) it is built around training rather than adventure; 3) woodworking.

1) Not Star Wars: There is a line in Empire Strikes Back where Yoda says, "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, NEVER for attack." There is no equivocation in that. It is NEVER for attack. Pretty simple, I would think. Yet the movies are packed with our Jedis on the offensive, including Yoda in the preq There are three reasons why I love The Magic of Recluce: 1) it's not like the Star Wars movies in one crucial way; 2) it is built around training rather than adventure; 3) woodworking.

1) Not Star Wars: There is a line in Empire Strikes Back where Yoda says, "A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, NEVER for attack." There is no equivocation in that. It is NEVER for attack. Pretty simple, I would think. Yet the movies are packed with our Jedis on the offensive, including Yoda in the prequels. I wanted to believe Yoda. I wanted it to be true. I wanted Luke's confrontation with Darth Vader in Bespin to be as much a mistake because of its offensive nature as it was a mistake of his youth.

I've debated and discussed this with many over the years, and one of the most frustrating excuses for the movies is that "there is no other way." I've always argued that there is another way, and that the failure to embrace that other way is a terrible failure of the films and its creator (I am fine with using the violence of attack as an answer, so long as the great guru of our hero doesn't say that it is NEVER for attack). But my argument has been written off as mere theory because while I have argued that there is another way all I had was my assertion that there was. Now I have The Magic of Recluce. Where Lucas fails, Modesitt Jr. succeeds. Where Luke Skywalker fails, Lerris succeeds. Where the flawed use of force fails, order succeeds by letting chaos destroy itself.

Lerris doesn't need big weapons. He actually breaks his own staff at one point and uses a shield as his "weapon." Lerris spends the novel disarming people, avoiding people, protecting people and attempting to bring order to the chaos around him. And there is no loss of excitement in the story. Big action be damned.

2) Training: I am a big sucker for training stories. It has always been one of my favourite aspects of war movies (raw recruits becoming soldiers), martial arts movies (ninja and samurai mastering their weapons), and sports movies (especially the crappy baseball team going back to basics). I suppose it is because I like to learn and I like to teach, but it is also a wonderful tool of storytelling because it breathes life into characters very naturally. Character development must happen. There is no avoiding it when a character's raison d'etre is to change. And here, in The Magic of Recluce, Lerris is learning from the first page to the last, even when he is bored, even when he is seeking, even when he is teaching and even when he is just riding his pony. Lerris learns and that is good.

3) Woodworking: This may seem like an odd reason for loving the story, but the woodworking is quite a beautiful addition to The Magic of Recluce. It grounds our hero, is key to his search for his place in order and chaos, links him permanently to the land of his birth and provides him with an occupation when times get tight. And it is the latter economic use of woodworking that I liked best.

Fantasy novels and their characters rarely worry themselves with anything as mundane as money. Even the poorest farmboy turned hero just goes out in the world and has everything happen for him. There is some early testing adventure that puts him in danger, and when he walks away from it he has a full purse and food just falls into his lap whenever he needs it (either because he is an accomplished hunter or everyone's happy to give their food away). Not for Lerris. He makes his way through the Easthorns after a last ditch escape from Jellico and finds himself short on food and short on funds. So what does he do? He gets himself a gig as a journeyman woodworker and spends a good third of the novel becoming a master builder. This, of course, does much more for him than simply providing money (it is probably the most important part of his personal training), but to see a hero concerned with the day to day difficulties of living pushed The Magic of Recluce into rarified air for me.

It is a damn good novel, but the woodworking? The woodworking makes it great. ...more

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Sep 12, 2009 Chris rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi-fan-group

An engaging read that starts out as a coming-of-age fantasy and advances into something...else. It reminds me in places of Robert Jordan, Michael Moorcock, and Steven Erikson, yet has its own voice.

Modesitt gets a high score for his world building. The world of Recluce is wonderful and the surface is only scratched at here. I'm intrigued enough by this to read more in the series at some point. Since all but one of the 15 or so other books out there happen before this one, there's plenty of backs An engaging read that starts out as a coming-of-age fantasy and advances into something...else. It reminds me in places of Robert Jordan, Michael Moorcock, and Steven Erikson, yet has its own voice.

Modesitt gets a high score for his world building. The world of Recluce is wonderful and the surface is only scratched at here. I'm intrigued enough by this to read more in the series at some point. Since all but one of the 15 or so other books out there happen before this one, there's plenty of backstory to add to the world here.

I also enjoyed Modesitt's pace and style. He uses the first person narrative style as the story is revealed by the main character, Lerris. He's a young man learning his powers and his way in the world. He seems to start out as a typical Rand/Frodo/Richard Cypher/Luke Skywalker type but eventually matures into an interesting character in his own right. And he does this mostly by learning things for himself, rather than having a Gandalf figure to tell him what to do.

The magic system of Recluce is excellent. Basically, all of the magic is centered around the forces of order and chaos, and the manipulation or of keeping them up. This is where the Moorcock reminders are. I enjoyed seeing Lerris learn about the system and seeing it in practice from him and others utilizing it. The chaos-masters and order-masters, commanding the white of chaos and black of order fascinated me. I love the switch from typical by having white reprsent evil and black for good, though they're not quite as black and white (forgive the play on words) as that. Chaos leads to evil but isn't evil in and of itself. Same thing with order. The relationships and manipulations of chaos and order are what end up defining good and evil here.

There are some small breaks in the course of the novel where the author switches to a present tense third person and gives us hints as to other happenings away from Lerris. I had mixed feelings about those. While they were interesting and helped set up some of the big picture drama, they were too few and far between to really help the story that much. They were also pretty vague and honestly took away from some of the surprise later. It was a jolt in the narrative whenever one of these came up, both to switch into the third person and then back to Lerris's view. In my opinion, they should have been left out. Or, where there was something useful there, maybe it could have been told to Lerris by someone on the road. As far as giving the reader something that Lerris didn't know, that doesn't make sense in a first person story. There was a LOT going on that he didn't pick up all the details on, and that was fine. It added to the mystery of the world and story.

The other annoying thing wasn't as minor. In fact, it bugged the piss out of me and might have helped keep this book from a 5-star rating. The f**king sound effects! That was a narrative flaw that could very well get a book tossed into the burn pile. If this story wasn't as engaging as it was, that would have had me heading right back to the library to drop this thing in the overnight return.

Here's an example:

"Tharoom...thud...tharoom... Walking the white fir was walking across a massive drum. Antonin's coach must have vied with the real thunder when it rumbled across his bridge...Tharummmm...
Creaaakkkk...The heavy wooden gate, set on massive bronze hinges, eased open even more widely as I watched."

That's annoying. I felt like I was watching one of those old cheesy Batman television episodes. There are ways to describe sound without treating the reader like an idiot or make them feel like they're reading a comic book without pictures. Luckily he didn't really get rolling with this technique too early in the book, and by the time he did I was already hooked by the story. Otherwise it would have been "holy cheesy effects, Batman" and I would have moved on to something else. I was able to live with them eventually, my eyes blurring over and past to the real narrative beyond.

Overall, I give this book high points for the world building, the magic system, the characters, and the writing voice used by Modesitt over the course of most of the novel. I'm definitely interested in reading more books in the Recluce series, I'm just hoping he cuts back on the special effects. ...more

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Oct 17, 2018 Sotiris Karaiskos rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: high-fantasy, fantasy

Usually in the field of high fantasy I choose recent works, but I like to look for the distant and the near past for corresponding works Phase difference have influenced The current writers. One of these works is this book, which starts a very large set of books that continues even nowadays, so we can say that it is at the same time recent.

In this first book, therefore, we start from a utopian place where order and stability reign, tensions are non-existent and, in general, its inhabitants live Usually in the field of high fantasy I choose recent works, but I like to look for the distant and the near past for corresponding works Phase difference have influenced The current writers. One of these works is this book, which starts a very large set of books that continues even nowadays, so we can say that it is at the same time recent.

In this first book, therefore, we start from a utopian place where order and stability reign, tensions are non-existent and, in general, its inhabitants live a peaceful life. To do this, however, the authorities manage creatively those people find this whole order boring and want to do more. This creative management involves exile to other parts of the world where they are called upon to find their way but also to help stabilize these areas where they are sent.

One of them is our young hero who is bored with the life that has set him up and wants to make something more exciting. So, after a short period of learning, they send him along with others to a nearby area where things are more... chaotic, as various competitions and power games have led to a lasting war. Here our hero - like his friends - is called upon to mature, cultivate more his magic powers and be able to bring peace to this region. But quickly he understands that things are very difficult, as against him are the magical powers of chaos that threaten to destroy everything and then spread their influence across the globe. To face this evil needs to make difficult choices that even in the end can not know if they are right.

That is how this series begins, with a book in which the reader will not find much action or very intense emotions but will find different things that may be even more essential as the author focuses more on our hero and on his personal quest, inviting us to identify with him, comparing our own search with his own. So we follow its course which leads us to an interesting story, although in some places this interest is diminishing, while at a time the rather subdued finale does not offer complete satisfaction. At the same time, however, the author puts out several philosophical questions, insisting much on the contrast between order and chaos, which the more learned know is at the core of the perceptions of every human civilization. Of course, this philosophical search is somewhat simplistic and does not reach much depth, but it is capable of putting the reader in thought and this is quite important and makes me appreciate what I read.

Συνήθως στο χώρο της υψηλής φαντασίας επιλέγω πρόσφατα έργα, μου αρέσει, όμως, να ψάχνω στο μακρινό και το κοντινό παρελθόν για αντίστοιχα έργα διαφορά φάσης έχουν επηρεάσει Τους σημερινούς συγγραφείς. Ένα από αυτά τα έργα είναι αυτό εδώ το βιβλίο, το οποίο ξεκινάει μία ιδιαίτερα μεγάλη σειρά βιβλίων που συνεχίζεται ακόμα και στις μέρες μας, οπότε μπορούμε να πούμε ότι είναι και σημερινή ταυτόχρονα.

Σε αυτό το πρώτο βιβλίο, λοιπόν, ξεκινάμε από ένα ουτοπικό μέρος, όπου βασιλεύει η τάξη και η σταθερότητα, οι εντάσεις είναι ανύπαρκτες και γενικότερα οι κάτοικοι του ζούνε μία ειρηνική ζωή. Για να το επιτύχουν αυτό, όμως, οι αρχές διαχειρίζονται δημιουργικά εκείνα τα άτομα βρίσκουν όλη αυτή την τάξη βαρετή και θέλουν να κάνουν κάτι περισσότερο. Αυτή η δημιουργική διαχείριση περιλαμβάνει την εξορία τους σε άλλα μέρη του πλανήτη όπου εκεί καλούνται να βρουν το δρόμο τους αλλά και να βοηθήσουν στην σταθεροποίηση αυτών των περιοχών όπου αποστέλλονται.

Ένας από αυτούς είναι ο νεαρός ήρωάς μας που βαριέται αφόρητα τη ζωή που το έχουν ορίσει και ζητάει να κάνει κάτι συναρπαστικότερο. Έτσι, μετά από μία σύντομη περίοδο εκπαίδευσης, τον στέλνουν μαζί με κάποιους άλλους σε μία κοντινή περιοχή όπου τα πράγματα είναι περισσότερο... χαοτικά, καθώς oi διάφοροι ανταγωνισμοί και τα παιχνίδια εξουσίας έχουν οδηγήσει σε μία διαρκή εμπόλεμη κατάσταση. Εκεί ο ήρωάς μας - όπως και οι φίλοι του - καλείται να ωριμάσει, να καλλιεργήσει περισσότερο τις μαγικές του δυνάμεις και να μπορέσει να φέρει την ειρήνη σε αυτήν την περιοχή. Γρήγορα, όμως, καταλαβαίνεις ότι τα πράγματα είναι πολύ δύσκολα καθώς απέναντί του βρίσκονται οι μαγικές δυνάμεις του χάους που απειλούν να καταστρέψουν τα πάντα και μετά να εξαπλώσουν την επιρροή τους σε ολόκληρο τον πλανήτη. Για να αντιμετωπίσει αυτό το κακό χρειάζεται να κάνει δύσκολες επιλογές που ακόμα και στο τέλος δεν μπορεί να ξέρει αν είναι σωστές.

Κάπως έτσι ξεκινάει αυτή η σειρά, με ένα βιβλίο στο οποίο ο αναγνώστης δεν θα βρει πολύ δράση ή πολύ έντονες συγκινήσεις, θα βρει, όμως, διαφορετικά πράγματα που ίσως είναι και πιο ουσιαστικά καθώς ο συγγραφέας επικεντρώνεται περισσότερο στον ήρωά μας και στην προσωπική αναζήτηση του, καλώντας μας ίσως να ταυτιστούμε μαζί του, συγκρίνοντας τη δική μας αναζήτηση με τη δική του. Έτσι παρακολουθούμε την πορεία του η οποία μας οδηγεί σε μία ενδιαφέρουσα ιστορία, αν και σε κάποια σημεία αυτό το ενδιαφέρον μειώνεται, τη στιγμή που το μάλλον κάπως υποτονικό φινάλε δεν προσφέρει απόλυτη ικανοποίηση. Παράλληλα, όμως, ο συγγραφέας βάζει και αρκετά φιλοσοφικά ερωτήματα, επιμένοντας πολύ στην αντίθεση μεταξύ της τάξης και του χάους, κάτι που οι περισσότεροι διαβασμένοι γνωρίζουν ότι είναι στον πυρήνα των αντιλήψεων κάθε ανθρώπινου πολιτισμού. Βέβαια αυτή η φιλοσοφική αναζήτηση είναι κάπως απλοϊκή και δεν φτάνει σε μεγάλο βάθος, είναι ικανή, όμως, να βάλει τον αναγνώστη σε σκέψη και αυτό είναι αρκετά σημαντικό και με κάνει να εκτιμώ αυτό που διάβασα. ...more

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Jun 10, 2008 Jon rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Jon by: SF/Fantasy Book Club November 2010 Selection

Shelves: fiction, read-in-my-40s, favorites, fantasy, my-favorites, epic-fantasy, read-in-my-20s, read-in-my-30s

Excellent world building and superb magic system with an annoyingly dense but affable young adult protagonist on a quest. Lerris is 'the chosen one' but for all the wrong reasons or completely mysterious hidden reasons until he's painted himself into a corner with his fumbling choices. Lerris isn't burdened with a prophecy, but he resists the status quo of Recluce. Lerris is just your typical young adult with attention deficit disorder (i.e., he's bored and finds everything boring), but Recluce ...more

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Sep 22, 2017 Nils | nilsreviewsit rated it it was ok

I'm sorry to say that this book was a DNF for me! I'm so disappointed that I didn't like this one, I really tried to give it a fair go, and I read about halfway through, but to be honest it was stressing me out and I had to leave it!

It wasn't all negative as I really did enjoy the beginning of the book. The Magic of Recluce is written in first person, and the downfall of this narration can be that it makes a book lack world building. There was none of that here! Modesitt showed himself to be ski ...more

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Jan 19, 2012 Jayaprakash Satyamurthy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This isn't pathbreaking fantasy, and it suffers from issues of pacing, prose and characterisation, but it's an engaging and sometimes moving story for all that.

A coming of age novel set in a fantastic world (aren't they all?), The Magic Of Recluce often seems bogged down in diurnal detail: meals at inns, distances travelled, long hours of discomfort, but I can also see how Modesitt felt the need to include these things as a way to ground his fantasy narrative, give it a lived-in feel. The prose ...more

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May 05, 2018 Wanda rated it liked it

Shelves: z-1990s, reading-project, read-in-2018, interlibrary-loan, speculative-fiction, fantasy

I liked this book well enough, but it really didn’t distinguish itself. Young Lerris gets sent off to do what is called dangergeld because he is bored with his perfect, utopian life. As per usual in this kind of story, he discovers that he has talents he never suspected, that his parents aren’t who he thought they were, and that non-utopian life can be rather difficult. You know, the usual in these fantasy epics. (See The Belgariad by David Eddings, The Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist, or Memory, ...more

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Sep 24, 2017 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2fiction, 3series, fantasy, 1audio

I first read this over 25 years ago & it hooked me on the Recluce series. It's the first published, but 17th in the chronology (C17, P01). It was a real journey of discovery that first time as Modesitt built the complicated world through Lerris' eyes, a young, disaffected man who was ignorant of so much. My one real issue with the book is how much he suddenly understood toward the end. I guess he's a lot smarter than I am.

My favorite parts were the woodworking & the horse (large pony). I'm a woo ...more

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Sep 10, 2020 Gary Sundell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The first in a huge fantasy series. A young man who finds his homeland of Recluce boring is sent out into the world to find his place in the world and find the answers to the questions he has about himself and the world. Chaos versus Order. Well done. The page count in this series is imposing.

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Sep 09, 2017 Sara J. (kefuwa) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Read with the #MagicalModesitt group-read organised by Jacob.

"Chaos is concentrated anarchy, if you will. Order is diffused by nature. They have to balance."

Wow. What an interesting magic system. Yin/Yang balance, Order vs Chaos, Black vs White, philosophy of mind, consequences, Newton' 3rd law... and all the gray in between! I like it!

Recluce will now be added to my #FinishTheSeries TBR. When I have time to update it. Lol.

[Pending Review] ...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Helen rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy

This wasn't bad, but I don't think it was particularly what I was looking for. The writing was good and the story had some neat magical elements to it, but I found it to drag a bit too much and I was not as happy with the coming of age nature of the plot. It could be a case of me just choosing the wrong book so taker this review with a grain of salt. I just found it to be too long and too dry to make up for the moments of sizzle.

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Nov 29, 2019 Aaron rated it liked it

Not quite 3.5 stars.

I didn’t know what to expect going into this book. I knew it was the first of a long series and the ratings/reviews had me wondering. The pace of the book is pretty slow. It involves a lot of daily life type of descriptions. I thought that this would make me lose interest. There were times that I felt this everyday life events could have been shorted to move the book along, but overall I came to enjoy it. It felt comfortable to me and relaxing, which I wasn’t expecting. The ...more

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Nov 14, 2007 Mark rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Fantasy aficionados

Shelves: fantasy

"The Magic of Recluce" is the first book in L.E. Modesitt's long-running "Recluce" saga. This series has grown to encompass 14 books.

The denizens of Modesitt's world are all human beings. The magic system of this world is based on order and chaos. Chaos wizards enhance the chaos in people and things while order wizards enhance the order in people and things. Chaos is classified as an "evil" magic and order as a "good" magic. It's a pretty cool and logical system, although I was disappointed that ...more

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Apr 01, 2018 Mike rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series-in-progress, read-all-the-books-the-fifth-season, src18spr

Fun. I'll eventually pick up the rest of the related novels ("series").

The Seasonal Reading Challenge Task 15.4
(This task normally requires two books, but if you can make one book both of the parts, it counts!
Part 1: single author initials (L.E.M.) found in "Acropolis Museum"
Part 2: book title initial letters (TMOR) found in "Metropolitan"
Also, with the MMPB at 501 pp. don't forget that this is a Big Book!

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Jul 08, 2010 Dawn rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2012, fantasy

This was an enjoyable read. Nothing spectacular, definitely not five stars for me, but it could have at least been four stars if not for one very annoying component... But more on that later.

The characters - I liked them. Some of the relationships that formed between them seemed a little unbelievable and/or unnatural to me, but it wasn't so bad as to interfere with my enjoyment of the story. The magic system - interesting, I liked the idea of order versus chaos and all of the rules that went wit This was an enjoyable read. Nothing spectacular, definitely not five stars for me, but it could have at least been four stars if not for one very annoying component... But more on that later.

The characters - I liked them. Some of the relationships that formed between them seemed a little unbelievable and/or unnatural to me, but it wasn't so bad as to interfere with my enjoyment of the story. The magic system - interesting, I liked the idea of order versus chaos and all of the rules that went with each side. The world was also interesting to me, I found myself wanting to keep reading so that I could learn more about Recluce and unravel the mysteries surrounding it. The plot was sort of so so.. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading it.. But for most of the book it just sort of meandered along. The plot was advancing, but I had no idea what it was advancing towards. It only really started coming together and wrapping up in the last third or quarter. But like I said - the ride to get there was interesting, I just would have liked some more hints as to what the overall plot was a little earlier on.

Now back to the annoying component.. The sound effects. What the heck was up with those sound effects? They were so awkward and out of place in the story! Some examples of what I mean...

Thwup, thwup, thwup... thwup, thwup, thwup... The paddles churned, dipping into the water with increasing speed, and a heavier and thicker plume of whitish smoke billowed from the stack.

... clink... clink... clunk... Sweat was pouring from his face, and he was breathing hard.... clink... clunk... Crack!... Whsssttt... "Aiiieee...!" Clank..

Thrummmm... thrumm... Splatt... splattt... The cold raindrops on my head prompted me to complete my recovery of the cloak and to replace the pack behind the saddle.

Seriously.. What is up with that? They are completely unnecessary, annoying, and everywhere. They didn't really show up right away, which is good because I probably would have dropped the book right away if they had. By the time they did show up I was already interested in the story, so I pushed through. But seriously.. They almost ruin the story.

So overall - the story/characters/magic/world in general gets four stars, but I have to take off a star for the sound effects. I will likely read on in the series, but I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed that the sound effects go away. ...more

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Mar 10, 2010 Justin rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy

Bleh. Technically I shouldn't mark this as "read," since I've only made it through about 175 pages or so.

I've seen these books praised by fantasy readers, and am lucky enough to have a set signed by the author. But I can't really see the appeal. This is a book in dire need of a more merciless editor. It's turgid past the point of forgiveness. Everything moves so. Slow. That. I. Find. Myself. Not. Giving. A. Damn.

Modesitt takes great care to describe each room his characters enter in excruciating ...more

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Jun 07, 2017 Skip rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Skip by: Tim!

Shelves: series-in-progress, fantasy, e-books

The first in a series about the battle between two opposing forces: chaos and order. Recluce is a city of almost pure order, where people who compromise that order are exiled. The main character, Lerris, is dissatisfied with never getting straight answers and hopelessly bored. I was reminded a bit of Milo from A Phantom Tollbooth. such a person. But, like any good heroic fantasy, this reluctant, unlikely hero does save the day.

The book started very slowly, until Lerris is sent for training, wher ...more

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Oct 23, 2017 Stefan Bach rated it it was ok · review of another edition

“Be on your way, boy. Just remember, you can always come back, once you discover who you are.”

In a time when readers are demanding for fast-paced, action-packed, non-stop entertaining, easy quick reads - this should have been a safe haven; a resting stop. A recluse.

There's nothing worse than unfulfilled potential.

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Oct 20, 2019 Stephen Richter rated it really liked it

Shelves: dead-tree, sword-challenge-2019

I liked this way better than I thought I would going in. I am always leery of Number 1 of 20 in a series. Do I want to start something like that? Yet, I really enjoyed this slow developing story of a young man in search of himself. A Magic System that is slowly revealed, as the main character learns more about what can and can not be done. Nice logic to the magic system, also nice that the magic has grey edges.
Can work as a stand alone, but I am all set to go on to book two. A Nice Old School fa ...more

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Aug 03, 2014 Shel rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, beyond-reality-discussions, kindle-owned, read-in-2015

Mixed feelings about this one. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the story, but there were definitely some annoying aspects of the book that kept my rating at three stars. I generally am not a fan of first-person narration, unless it's done really well (Robin Hobb is a master, for example), and Modesitt's writing is passable but nothing special. One of the limitations of first person narratives is, of course, that the reader only can know what the narrator knows; Modesitt got around this by includ ...more

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Jun 09, 2010 Althea Ann rated it it was ok

Another big long book, and the start of one of those giant epic fantasy sagas.
However, again, I'm not going to go get the sequels.
I like fantasy because it has such potential to expand our concepts of what human society can be, in different and unusual, often dramatic situations.
One can tell, reading this book, that the author is conservative, christian, and non-feminist. This only occasionally intrudes jarringly into the story, but there's absolutely nothing in here that would stretch the comfo ...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Greg Strandberg rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

This book is so good it's not even funny. I read it in China while teaching at a public school and it was nice to come home in the evenings and have this escape.

I thought it started out slow, at an island academy. Things picked up and I liked the skip in time. You really see some good magic system development here with how things decay with the use of magic. This is juxtaposed against a world where people build crafts.

Our hero is in this world and he does a lot of carpentry. I really enjoyed tho ...more

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Feb 09, 2020 Toviel marked it as not-interested · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I don’t DNF books very often, but... Eesh, I have to for the first Recluce book. Read to 8% and couldn’t stand the writing style, main character, or intolerable repetition anymore.

I burnt myself out on order/chaos/balance stories a decade ago, and reading the series’ Wikipedia page to see how it ends up killed any possible enthusiasm I had for it. When Wikipedia’s “Plot” section covers an entire essay on the setting alone before a single character is named, it’s not a good sign.

Undoubtedly, it ...more

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Sep 20, 2017 AndrewP rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2017, audio-books

This book is what I would refer to as a traditional, coming of age fantasy story. Misfit teenager destined to become a great hero etc. Personally I don't find anything wrong with this approach when there is sufficient world building and interesting story to back it up.

In this case the author met most of those goals. The world is quite well thought out and the magic system has some interesting ideas that conflict with our preconceived notions of good/evil, black/white, order/chaos. In this sense ...more

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Apr 19, 2017 Bogdan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, best-fantasy-books

Wow! This was such a great great book!

I loved the writer style, such an unusual one, with a great deal of attention to the small details, with a conventional evolution of the story, a become of age, but in the same time, an unusual structure to it and not to speak of all the sounds that are described in this book. A delight to read!

And another peculiar thing is the depiction of Good vs Evil not in the usual way, the black is the Order the white is the antagonist way, Disorder.

The main hero fight ...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. fantasy novel about order masters [s]	5	46	Sep 13, 2015 11:33AM
Beyond Reality: THE MAGIC OF RECLUCE: Finished Reading (SPOILERS)	26	31	Jul 11, 2015 11:12AM
Beyond Reality: THE MAGIC OF RECLUCE: Roll Call and First Impressions (NO SPOILERS)	7	22	Jun 26, 2015 07:17PM

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About L.E. Modesitt Jr.

L.E. Modesitt Jr.

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L. E. (Leland Exton) Modesitt, Jr. is an author of science fiction and fantasy novels. He is best known for the fantasy series The Saga of Recluce. He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts, lived in Washington, D.C. for 20 years, then moved to New Hampshire in 1989 where he met his wife. They relocated to Cedar City, Utah in 1993.

He has worked as a Navy pilot, lifeguard, delivery boy, u ...more